Japan Society of Fairfield County
Lecture on 77 Samurai Delegation

Saturday, June 12, 2010, Westport Public Library

JSFC president Harry Sakamaki has been
studying the early diplomatic history of Japan and the United States
and presented a lecture on his research at the Westport Library. One
hundred fifty years ago, Japan’s first diplomatic visit to the
United States occurred. In 1860, Japan was represented by seventy
seven samurai and some observers. This occurred prior to the Civil
War when James Buchanan was president and Japan was ruled by the
Tokugawa Shogunate. Commodore Perry had opened Japan in 1854 and the
Kanagawa Treaty was signed. Townsend Harris was sent to Shimoda,
Japan as America’s first diplomat, and the Treaty of Amity and
Commerce was drawn up. Japan wanted the treaty approved with some
changes in the terms and therefore sent its embassy to the United
States.
Just prior to this time, Japan was
essentially closed to the west. A 2.4 acre island, Dejima, near
Nagasaki, was a closed Dutch settlement that serviced a few Dutch
ships per year. More trade occurred with China, often coming up
through Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands. Japan was aware that China
was being carved up by the west. Britain sent gunboats up the
Yangtze to protect its drug pushers in the Opium War of 1840. There
was considerable dissension within Japan as to how to deal with the
west.
Masayoshi Hotta, an adviser to Tokugawa
Shogun, was assigned to work with Harris on a treaty. Although
initially opposed to opening, Hotta was convinced that opening was
in Japan’s interest. A draft of a treaty was developed and Hotta
insisted that it receive Imperial endorsement. The Emperor faced an
“anti-alien sect” in the imperial court, refused to endorse the
draft, and expelled Hotta from his post. The new Chief of Staff of
Tokugawa Shogunate, Naosuke Ii, signed the treaty without the
Emperor’s approval. The Treaty was signed on the deck of U.S.N.
Powhatan anchored in Kanagawa on July 29, 1858 (two and a half years
after Harris’ arrival) It was an unequal treaty but not as severe as
treaties China was forced to sign. Extraterritoriality was claimed
in 5 opened cities, (Hakodate, Niigata, Kanagawa (Edo), Hyogo(Kobe),
and Nagasaki) and the city of Shimoda was to be returned to closed
status. Conventional tariffs were imposed but Japan was obliged to
accept an unfair gold-silver coin exchange rate. Townsend Harris
persuaded Masayoshi Hotta to accept these terms by pointing out the
military threat posed by Spain, Portugal, Britain, and France. The
U.S. had no interest in military adventures overseas and was the
only friendly and benevolent Western power. It would protect Japan
from Britain selling opium to Japan. Japan could also benefit from
tariffs it collected and would gain access to western technology,
especially steam engines and telegraphy.
Townsend Harris was in his fifties and
wished to be a politician. He obtained a copy of the British Siam
Commerce treaty and studied its terms. He learned Japanese and also
spoke the principle European languages and was a good debater. Later
he went on to found the City College of New York.
The Japanese Embassy delegation of 77
samurai wanted to get the treaty approved and anticipated a
lucrative trade between the US and Japan. They also wanted to
correct the unfair gold-silver exchange rate. The idea of a
delegation was originally brought up by Tadanari Iwase, the chief
negotiator with Harris, under Masayoshi Hotta. Such a trip would
allow Japan to show its flag for the first time. Japanese observers
accompanying the embassy would have an opportunity to see America
first hand and verify reports of its prosperity and strength.
Two ships sailed to America. The US ship
was the USN Powhatan, which was a side paddlewheel frigate, powered
by a 1500 hp steam engine capable of cruising at 11 knots. She was
the flagship of Commodore Mathew Perry’s fleet and the Treaty of
Amity and Commerce was signed on her deck. She displaced 3,765 tons,
and was 254 feet long with a 45 foot beam. The Japanese ship was the
Kanrinmaru, which was built in Kinder-Dyke, Holland. This ship has
survived and is in operating condition. She was the first coal-fired
screw driven steam corvette in Japan, powered by a 100 hp steam
engine and capable of 6 knots. Her displacement was 300 tons, and
she was 164 feet long, with a 23 foot beam.
The ships left Yokohama on February 13,
1860 and encountered a severe storm en route. The Powhatan detoured
to Sandwich Island (Hawaii) for refueling while the Kanrinmaru
continued to San Francisco, arriving 3/17/1860 with great fanfare.
News reached San Francisco that the Powhatan would bypass San
Francisco and go directly to Panama, but this proved to be false.
Repairs were made to the Kanrinmaru at the Mare Island Navy Yard.
Three members of the Kanrinmaru crew died during the voyage or right
after arriving San Francisco: Boiler man Minekichi (37), sailor
Minezo (22), and sailor Gennosuke (25). Charles Wolcott Brooks, a
trader, found them tomb stones and buried them. Later they were
transferred to Colma Hill where the Pacific Ocean can be viewed.
There continues to be the Japanese Cemetery in Colma. Japan
appointed Brooks the first consul of Japan in San Francisco in 1867.
The Powhatan arrived in San Francisco on
3/29/1860. A welcome reception was planned and chaired by San
Francisco Mayor Teschenmaker. It was attended by army generals,
volunteer army generals, statesmen, judges, and consuls from
Britain, France, Netherlands, Russia, among others. While in San
Francisco, Fukuzawa toured a Telegraph Office, a Galvanizing Plant,
and a Sugar Refining Plant. He shopped at a book store with John
Manjiro and bought an English-Chinese Webster dictionary and some
children’s books. In his diary he noted:“Wasn’t surprised at all by
telegraph and galvanizing…” “Our colleague wearing
zouri(sandals) and two swords did not know what to do upon entering
a room with lush wall-to-wall carpeting … eventually stepped
on…suddenly delivered sake bottle…big noise when opened…bubbles
popped up…something solid inside the glass…put it in the mouth and
startled...?”(it was ice)
On 4/10/1860, the Kanrinmaru returned to
Edo, stopping at Hawaii en route. The Japanese crew assumed full
responsibility for navigation home.
The embassy sailed to Panama on the
Powhatan, leaving on 4/7/1860. They then took a steam train across
the isthmus from Aspinwall (now Colon). This was the first time the
Japanese officials rode on a full size train. They were met by the
frigate USS Roanoke and welcomed aboard. They sailed to Fort Monroe
where they transferred to the steamer Philadelphia, which took them
up the Potomac River, passing Mount Vernon and Alexandria. The
embassy received a big welcome from Americans they passed on shore
and received a warm reception at the Washington Navy Yard. There
they unloaded tons of cargo including a large strange box. They next
traveled up Pennsylvania Avenue to Willard’s Hotel where they were
welcomed by the dignitaries in Washington. They deposited $80,000
cash and jewels in the hotel safety deposit box. Later they were
taken on a tour of the Washington Navy yard where they were shown
ship building, steam engine manufacturing, gear/nuts/bolts
manufacturing, and canon/rifle/shell manufacturing. Oguri convinced
himself that industrialization starts from ship building and steel
making and took a nut as a sample. His experience led the Japanese
to build the Yokosuka Ship Building/Steel Plant. Now there is a U.S.
Navy Base in Yokosuka.
At their first dinner in America, they had
a good appetite for American food and ate everything on the table
except the meat, which was inconsistent with their Buddhist
leanings. They did not enjoy the western custom of putting butter on
their rice, but did enjoy pipe smoking after dinner.
On May 16, 1860, they visited Lewis Cass,
the Secretary of State, at his office in semi-formal attire. They
presented their credentials from the Shogun and a copy of the
treaty. It was carried in that large mysterious box mentioned
earlier; its sides were five feet wide.
On May 17, 1860, they visited the White
House. The Envoy left Willard’s Hotel for the White House in formal
court wear ( “Eboshi” headgear and purple brocade “Kariginu”
clothing) in a carriage accompanied by an honor guard of Marines and
military bands. They met with President Buchanan and presented their
credentials in the East Room. Shinmi handed a pile of letters to the
President, who handed them to Lewis Cass. After brief addresses, the
President shook hands with the Ambassadors. They presented several
gifts from the Tokugawa Shogun: two long swords, saddle and
stirrups with silver lacquer decoration, hanging scrolls (by artists
of the Kano and Sumiyoshi schools), ten pairs of folding screens,
multicolored hanging curtains, lacquered book shelves, ink stone
cases, and stationery boxes, Gold, silver, and copper coins, and a
silk screen in black and gold lacquered frame.
On May 23, 1860, the treaty was signed by
Secretary of State, Lewis Cass, and the three ambassadors from
Japan. The treaty was written in three different languages: English,
Dutch, and Japanese. Discussions between the Americans and the
Japanese were usually done in Dutch, a language known by both.
The political situation in the United
States was very unsettled at this time. The panic of 1857 has
damaged President Buchanan’s reputation and Lincoln had been
nominated as the Republican candidate for President.
The editor of the NY Times wrote an op ed
discussing the Japanese. He chose to describe them as the “England
of the Pacific”. The delegation had come to study, compare,
criticize, and inquire and find a light out from the darkness. The
Japanese people were described as singular among Orientals for
intellectual activities, having practical good sense and a zeal for
the acquisition of knowledge. They wished to learn of foreign
customs, but reserved the right not to adopt them. They were people
of simple habits who enjoyed rational and healthy pleasures.
Although they do not sing, they enjoy music. Japan was unique among
Eastern nations in rejecting polygamy and treating women with
respect. The art of Japan was deemed immature, lacking shading and
perspective. They were less judgmental and showed less respect for
personal life. Japan was said to teach all children reading and
writing. Books were inexpensive and available to all. Kyoto was
deemed to the Athens of Japan. Such a generous view of a non white
people was remarkable for this era when slavery was still legal in
the United States.
One member of the Japanese delegation drew
considerable attention. He was Onojiro Tateishi, an interpreter.
This youngest member of the delegation was nicknamed “Tommy” after
his first name Tamehachit. “Tommy” was an idol among American ladies
and reciprocated by saying “I like American lady very much; I
want to marry and live here with pletty lady (not ‘pretty’)” when
asked for his autograph. He learned to sing and whistle, “Pop Goes
the Weasel” and “Hail Columbia”. He even ended up with a dance tune
named after him, the “Tommy Polka”.
The delegation toured and shopped in
Washington, visiting the Smithsonian Museum, the Capitol, and the
National Astronomical Observatory. They also attempted to observe
daily life, including watching a woman iron clothes and sew using
the newly invented sewing machines.
The social life of the delegation was quite
full in Washington. In May, they had a Festival Ball at the Willard
Hotel and later had a welcome reception at the White House. While
the delegation was in Washington, news of the Sakuradamon incident
reached them. JSFC showed a film based on this incident in December
2011. Naosuke Ii, who functioned as Prime Minister for the
Shogunate, was assassinated on the 15th of March. He was going from
his house to the palace when he was attacked by the fourteen
Japanese dressed as travelers. He was the person who earlier
approved the treaty over the objections of the Imperial Court. This
news arrived on the Schooner Page on June 13, 1860.
The delegation next moved to Philadelphia.
The Delegation watched a torchlight procession of 4000 firefighters
and 200 fire engines from the balcony of the Continental Hotel. The
Ambassadors visited Point Breeze to watch two balloons ascend.
Townsend Harris had told them of balloons while they were in Edo.
They visited the gas works and another group was invited to a chess
club. There they demonstrated “shoji” and amazed the chess players
with the speed of play. They quickly learned chess. They also
visited medical doctor and observed surgical operations.
On June 14, 1860, they visited the
Philadelphia mint. Oguri met with the director of the Mint and
explained the unfairness of the valuation of coinage. He brought
three gold coins (“Ansei Koban”) and showed they were exactly the
same weight proving the quality of the Japanese coinage. Comparing
the content of gold of both Japanese and American coins, he
demonstrated the unfairness of the proposed exchange rate. The
director of the mint agreed.
On June 16, 1860, the delegation traveled
to New York. They took train from Philadelphia to Camden to Amboy,
New Jersey. There they boarded the Steamboat Alida at 10AM, where
they received a welcome reception on the deck. The ship sailed along
the scenic shoreline of New Jersey. They were obliged to sail around
Staten Island due to an ebb tide. At 2PM, the Alida docked at the
Battery Pier 1, North River. 7000 military men were on hand to greet
them and the start of their 13 day stay. The Embassy proceeded to
the Metropolitan Hotel located at Broadway & Prince Street. The
entrance was lighted with 2000 colorful Venetian lanterns and its
“Welcome” sign was lit by more lights. They were assigned all 74
rooms on the second floor. The Ambassadors were assigned the suites
on the Broadway side with a private baths and a dining room. The bed
covers were embroidered with Chinese silk fabricated in Calcutta. A
card inscribed with the Japanese emblem and “Japanese Embassy” was
posted on all their doors. The corridors were decorated with
pictures of Japanese scenery. Flags of Japan and America were hung
from the ceiling. Saloon walls were decorated with flowers,
evergreens, and flags. Singing canaries were placed in cages in the
Promenade.
On the 25th of June 1860, they had a Grand
Ball at the Metropolitan Hotel. It started with a Welcome Parade on
Broadway in front of the Metropolitan Hotel. Viewing stands were set
up on Broadway and seats sold for $1. Japanese and American flags
waved on the streets and welcome banners were placed on buildings.
Approximately 800,000 people attended the parade. Security included
400 police and 6440 military personnel (After the Civil War, US
military personnel were prohibited from normal law enforcement by
the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878). A reenactment of this event was
held in 2010. Afterwards a banquet was held at the mansion of James
Bennett, Sr, founder of New York Herald. The site of the mansion is
now Bennett Park,
The delegation relaxed at Central Park. A
group took a carriage from the Metropolitan Hotel, and “Tommy”
hastily jumped into a carriage to avoid a crowd of American ladies.
The park’s chief architecture Frederick Olmsted welcomed them and
showed a Japanese native Cryptomeria Japonica which he brought from
England. Ambassador Shinmi got off the carriage and attended the
planting ceremony.
The Ambassador told Olmstead that the trunk
will grow to a diameter of three feet by extending his arms. After
the planting ceremony, the group ran around the park for about half
of an hour like children, climbing the rocks and using their newly
purchased binoculars.
They also went our tours of industrial
facilities, such as the Spalding “Prepared Glue” plant. The
delegation was surprised by the ready-to-use glue; in Japan “Nikawa”
glue was made when needed. They visited the United States Steam
Sugar Refining Company and saw a great deal of machinery including
copper vacuum pans, engines, and a powdering mill. They presented
the company president with a set of “hakama” (Japanese pantaloons).
They went shopping on Broadway, stopping at
a bookstore where they purchased two dozen books on American
currency. They bought jewelry and wrist watches although they were
prohibited by Japanese law from wearing them at home. They bought
shoes and checked out the newest sewing machines at
Wilson&Banker. The Chinese pottery they thought they bought
turned out to be made in Japan.
They received presents from President James
Buchanan:
American Watch Company’s gold hunting
watches were given to His Majesty the Tycoon and his Chief
Ambassador. These were gold hunting watches with an engraved picture
of President Buchanan on the lid and an eagle on the back. The dial
was finished with Arabic and Japanese characters. The second in
command of the delegation received a similar watch, but with the
Capitol engraved on the lid. “Tommy” received an unengraved watch.
The Delegation said farewell to America on
June 30, 1860 as the sailed on the USS Niagara (4800 ton). They
sailed to the east, thereby making the delegation the first Japanese
to circumnavigate the globe. They stopped at Luanda, Angola; Batavia
on Jakarta; and Hong Kong before arriving at Edo, Japan on November
9th, 1860.
In both Japan and the United States events
occurred which precluded further development of relations. When the
delegation returned to Japan, they were not received well. Although
the anti-alien sect in the imperial court had been banished after
the Sakuradamon incident, it continued to pop up. Eventually the
Shogunate lost all its power in the Meiji restoration of 1868. In
the United States, the Civil War started in 1861 and overshadowed
most foreign relations.
The delegation did have important long term
consequences, especially for Japan. Capitalism and public companies
appeared in Japan and grew rapidly. Western science and technology
flourished. The government was modernized following western examples
and individualism and people’s rights were developing. Baseball was
introduced to Japan. By the time of the 1893 Columbian World
Exposition in Chicago, Japan participated in the fair on same level
as developed western nations.

References:
New York Historical Society (Leslie’s
Illustrated Newspaper and Harper’s Weekly)
The City College of New York – The City
College Library
Naval Historical Center
Shimoda City – Historical sites and museums
Books written by Shiba Ryotaro, Sakamoto
Fujiyoshi, Sato Masami, Tsunafuchi Kenjo, Masao Miyoshi “As We Saw
Them”, etc.
Wikipedia?etc. Return to Recent ProgramsReturn to Main Menu